New accounts detail mass killing at Soleimani statue protest in Iran

Security forces raided the village of Chenar in Asadabad county, Hamedan province, arresting hundreds of residents after surrounding the area early Monday, people familiar with the matter told Iran International.

The raid began at around 4:30 a.m., involving dozens of armored vehicles as well as several minibuses and vans, sources said. Forces also deployed four DShK heavy machine guns on the rooftops of some homes across the village.

Sources said detained residents were paraded through the city in vehicles fitted with cage bars before being transferred to the Asadabad police station.

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Witnesses said the violence unfolded on the evening of January 8 around Azadi Square, where one of the country’s most prominent monuments to Soleimani stood.

Protests in Kerman had begun days earlier with small, scattered gatherings around the city’s bazaar and residential neighborhoods, residents said. But by late afternoon on January 8, significantly larger crowds, including families, were moving toward the square.

One resident said Azadi Square had gradually become a focal point for protesters in the preceding days, despite the absence of formal calls to gather. Videos reviewed by Iran International show the Soleimani statue set on fire during the unrest.

According to a member of the medical staff at a Kerman treatment center, at least 70 protester deaths were registered in the city’s hospitals. He said the figure included only those formally recorded in medical facilities and did not capture all fatalities.

Iran’s government has not provided city-level breakdowns of protest deaths but leaked documents obtained and reviewed by. Iran International shows up to 36,500 people were killed across the country on those two days.

Witnesses said security forces had deployed in force around Azadi Square before peak gathering hours, blocking roads with vehicles and personnel to prevent crowds from reaching the monument. Protesters instead gathered along surrounding streets, including Jomhouri Boulevard, Khajoo intersection, and Bahmanyar and Esteghlal streets.

One protester said security forces initially used tear gas, pellet fire and warning shots. Drones were visible overhead between roughly 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. By around 8:00 p.m., he said, live ammunition was being fired directly at crowds.

He said some of the heaviest clashes occurred near Khajoo intersection and along Jomhouri Boulevard, where large crowds had formed. Witnesses also reported gunfire from elevated positions on nearby buildings, though this could not be independently verified.

Because of the concentration of hospitals, clinics and medical complexes near Azadi Square, many wounded protesters were able to reach treatment facilities quickly. Medical staff described treating gunshot wounds, severe bleeding and respiratory injuries caused by tear gas exposure.

In the days that followed, security forces detained medical personnel who had assisted protesters, according to a healthcare worker familiar with the arrests. He said at least 10 doctors in Kerman had been detained, though only two—Amir Shafiei and Saman Salari—have been publicly identified.

Witnesses said the scale of the January 8 turnout had been significantly larger than previous protests in the city. Some participants said the presence of families and older residents created a false sense of safety, leading many to underestimate the likelihood of lethal force.

A woman who took part in the protests said clashes continued across multiple neighborhoods late into the night and into the following day. Tear gas and gunfire affected large areas of the city, forcing residents indoors.

She also described the sudden appearance of motorcyclists who vandalized banks and government buildings while security forces present at the scene did not intervene. After the motorcyclists left, she said, security forces moved against protesters. The identities and affiliations of the motorcyclists could not be independently confirmed.

The crackdown was followed by widespread arrests and legal action, according to a lawyer in Kerman familiar with the cases. He said detainees were frequently moved between facilities, making it difficult for families to determine their whereabouts.

The lawyer said at least 30 detainees have been charged with “moharebeh,” or waging war against God, a capital offense under Iranian law. He also reported that approximately 500 detainees had received prison sentences, including medical staff and young protesters, while many others remained in legal limbo.

These figures could not be independently verified.

Families have often been reluctant to publicize arrests or disappearances, he said, citing fear of retaliation and reports of abuse in detention.

Among those whose deaths have been publicly confirmed were Mehdi Khosravi, 24, who was shot on January 8, and Ehsan Jafari, a university student who died weeks later after being wounded during the protests. Other victims included students, teachers and residents from across Kerman province.

The protests in Kerman focused in part on the Soleimani statue, which has become a symbol of state authority in the city where the general is buried.

Residents said many protesters viewed the monument as a representation of the political system itself. Their attempt to topple it was met by a brutal force that turned the surrounding streets into one of the deadliest flashpoints of unrest in the city.

The full death toll in Kerman remains unknown.

The trials were presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati, head of Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, who is widely known for handing down severe sentences in protest-related and political cases, the sources said.

Salavati has been holding simultaneous virtual hearings in which detainees are tried in groups of 14, according to the sources.

Among those sentenced is Abolfazl Karimi, a detained protester who the sources said had told his family in a phone call that he had been subjected to forced confessions under beatings and torture.

Karimi is the father of a young child and previously worked as a motorcycle courier in eastern Tehran.

He was arrested on January 6 while returning from work in Tehran’s Hengam neighborhood, where he encountered two injured women whose legs had been hit by gunfire from security forces, the sources said.

When he went to assist them, officers shot his leg with pellet rounds and arrested him along with the two wounded women, the sources added.

After about a month in detention in Greater Tehran Prison, he was recently transferred along with around 50 other protesters to Ghezel Hesar Prison, the sources said.

In a later phone call, Karimi told his family he had been tortured without medical treatment for his wounds and, while blindfolded, was forced to sign papers containing confessions against himself, according to the sources.

In recent days, Iran’s judiciary has intensified the process of trying protesters detained during the nationwide protests and issuing death sentences, the sources said.

On Monday Tehran Revolutionary Court, also presided over by Salavati, sentenced 19-year-old Mohammadamin Biglari to death on the charge of “enmity against God,” and the case has been referred to the Supreme Court, the sources said.

Biglari was arrested on January 8 on Tehran’s Damavand Street.

His mother is deceased, and his father was unaware of his fate for weeks, searching for him among bodies in Kahrizak before authorities informed him after three weeks that his son had been detained, the sources said.

Separately, on Sunday, the judiciary announced the first hearing session for three detained protesters—Ehsan Hosseinipour Hesarloo, Matin Mohammadi and Erfan Amiri—on charges including allegedly setting fire to Seyed al-Shohada Mosque in Pakdasht and alleged participation in murder.

Other charges against the three were announced as “assembly and collusion to appear and act against the country’s internal security following calls on hostile social media, particularly the US president and the Zionist regime (Israel)…” according to the judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency.

Norway-based rights group Hengaw said the case against the three was marred by due process violations.

"The hearing was held despite reports that the detainees have been denied basic rights since their arrest, including access to a lawyer of their choice and contact with their families. They were subjected to intense pressure and torture during detention and compelled to provide forced confessions," Hengaw said.

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested during the nationwide protests, many facing heavy charges, the sources said.

Some families have reported being pressured by security bodies to refrain from speaking to media or publicly discussing the cases of detained relatives, the sources added.

The raid began at around 4:30 a.m., involving dozens of armored vehicles as well as several minibuses and vans, sources said. Forces also deployed four DShK heavy machine guns on the rooftops of some homes across the village.

Sources said detained residents were paraded through the city in vehicles fitted with cage bars before being transferred to the Asadabad police station.

Several villagers were injured during the mass arrests and some detainees were severely beaten by officers, sources said.

Residents who gathered outside the police station seeking information about those detained reported hearing shouting and cries from inside the building, sources added.

A source familiar with the matter said Chenar residents had been highly active during the nationwide protests in December and January and that the slogan “Khamenei the murderer — dream on” was first chanted in the village.

The source added that villagers had drawn attention during demonstrations by carrying Iran’s pre-1979 Lion and Sun flag.

According to the source, residents buried slain protesters without ritual washing, departing from Islamic burial rites, and recited passages from the Persian epic Shahnameh at their funerals.

Sources also said the area’s Friday prayer leader had told village elders they would be “disciplined” over their role in the protests.

Previous videos published by Iran International showed Chenar residents carrying Lion and Sun flags and chanting “Reza Shah, rest in peace,” as well as a chant directed at Iran’s Supreme Leader — roughly translates as “what a futile delusion” or “dream on” — at earlier protests.

The phrase “dream on” drew wider attention after Elon Musk used it in response to a post by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on X about not surrendering.

The mass arrests and lack of clear information about the number and condition of detainees have sparked concern among families and residents, sources said.

The raid comes amid broader reports by rights groups of widespread arrests across Iran in recent weeks, with tens of thousands detained nationwide since the start of the protests in late December.

Iran has sentenced at least 14 protesters to death in group online trials, people familiar with the matter told Iran International, with additional indictments accusing detainees of acting against the country’s security on calls from the US president and Israel.

The trials were presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati, head of Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, who is widely known for handing down severe sentences in protest-related and political cases, the sources said.

Salavati has been holding simultaneous virtual hearings in which detainees are tried in groups of 14, according to the sources.

Among those sentenced is Abolfazl Karimi, a detained protester who the sources said had told his family in a phone call that he had been subjected to forced confessions under beatings and torture.

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